SLEEPWALK WITH ME (NR) Comedy is capable of many things, other than making us laugh. It can also reveal deep pain and uncomfortable truth. Disparate performers such as Woody Allen, Albert Brooks and Louis C.K. all explore how romance and unease frequently clash. Their insights into human nature are perceptive, brutally honest and not always flattering in the way their onscreen alter egos come across, particularly that of C.K.'s work on his groundbreaking show "Louie." Because Allen, Brooks and C.K. act in their own productions, their onscreen personas become inextricably linked with their real personalities, clouding our perceptions of who they really are.

Mike Birbiglia isn't as well known or as artistically adventurous as the above comedians, but his comedic approach in Sleepwalk with Me is in a similar vein, particularly his focus on the topsy-turvy realm of romance. Birbiglia also uses a fictionalized version of his own personality here, eagerly mixing elements of absurdity and reality in his easygoing and observant portrayal of aspiring stand-up comedian Mike Pandamiglio (Birbiglia) on his rocky road to making it as a working entertainer. Based on Birbiglia's hit one-man theater piece, Sleepwalk with Me's best moments (and they're plentiful) center on his slow rise through the ranks of the comedy club circuit, driving the interstates and back roads of the Northeast to perform 15-minute sets for little money in front of unappreciative audiences. In the meantime, his longtime romantic relationship with the girl of his dreams, Abby (Lauren Ambrose), is dissolving due to his inability to commit to her. There are also the bouts of sleepwalking he refuses to deal with, until an incident in a hotel room almost gets him killed, forcing him to finally face reality.

Birbiglia suffers from a sleep disorder, and it's mostly played for laughs in the movie, although it has an unfortunate heavy-handed symbolic resonance as well. The passive Pandamiglio is sleepwalking through his life, and the only way he can confront how he truly feels about Abby and his parents (the terrific Carol Kane and James Rebhorn) is when he gets personal in his comedy. It's the only time he's consciously awake. Birbiglia's dry delivery and temperately jaundiced view of the world is nevertheless engaging and hilarious, though never plummeting into the depths of discomfort or inventiveness like C.K. does. Birbiglia always keeps the shore in sight. One wishes he'd plunge a little deeper next time.